Reclaimed Sanctuary

I don’t remember how it came about, but Dan and I recently started watching the PBS series The Power of Myth; we borrowed it through our town library.

During the series of interviews recorded in 1987, Joseph Campbell, a mythologist, comments that it’s important for everyone to have a sanctuary — even if it is just in the form of quiet time one sets aside for them self each day. I figure that Campbell’s comment is even more relevant today given our accelerated pace of life.

Upon hearing Campbell’s comment, I suggested to Dan that he spend more time in our Camp — I know he considers it his sanctuary. Dan responded that it no longer feels like a sanctuary for him; it has been disrupted for such a long time due to construction and landscaping, and neglected so far this summer. I realized this was something I could remedy.

During the past few days I trimmed, weeded, tidied, and cleaned the Camp back to its former glory. This included removing logs I had stored at the Camp…

logs that enabled me to complete my log pile near the basement door.

Much to my delight, Dan said my orderly log pile was a work of art — worthy of installation at The Whitney (The Whitney Museum of American Art).

When the Camp was fully restored…

we marked the occasion with a kombucha mocktail.

With the Camp reclaimed, I am hopeful that Dan will again visit his sanctuary whenever he wishes or needs to. I have a feeling it’s where he does some of his best thinking.